The two most talked about smartphones ahead of this year’s Mobile World Congress sit at opposites sides of the spectrum; the low-end Android-based Nokia X and Samsung Electronics’ new flagship model, the Galaxy S5.
The smartphone market has seen phenomenal growth in the last couple of
years. But even if worldwide shipments increase, growth rates won’t be
as impressive, resulting in even tougher competition.
The fourth quarter highlighted this burgeoning trend, as mobile phone
sales in mature regions fell due to weaker demand. Lack of compelling
hardware innovation in the high-end segment meant consumers didn’t find
enough reasons to buy the latest model, according to Anshul Gupta ,
principal research analyst at Gartner.
Also, after nine consecutive quarters of explosive growth, China
experienced its first slowdown, according to IDC. Vendors there will
also have to increase efforts to convince consumers to upgrade, instead
of relying on first-time buyers.
Nokia's Normandy
It is against this backdrop that Mobile World Congress opens its doors
Monday. For Nokia as a handset maker, this year’s trip to Barcelona will
be its swan song as its acquisition by Microsoft is scheduled to be
approved before the end of March.
Reports have in the last couple of months said Nokia is planning on
using the Android open source code and a user interface of its own to
reignite the low end of its product portfolio, and it seems likely the
company will launch its first product early Monday morning local time.
It’s not difficult to understand why Nokia is moving away from the
proprietary operating system used on its Asha phones. Forked Android or
AOSP (Android Open Source Project) devices had a 25 percent market share
with 71 million shipped smartphones during the fourth quarter—mainly
thanks to China, India and adjacent countries, according to ABI
Research. That’s more than Apple’s iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry put
together.
The Nokia X, also known as Normandy, is rumored to be powered by a
dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon, have a 4-inch screen with a 854 by 480 pixel
resolution, and a 5-megapixel camera. The device is also expected to
have 512MB of RAM and 4GB of integrated storage that can be expanded
using a microSD card slot. Nokia’s most advanced Asha phone, the 503,
also has a 5-megapixel camera, but with a low resolution 3-inch screen.
The X will enter a competitive section of the smartphone market. But it
isn’t just consumers who will decide its fate—Microsoft will soon own
Nokia’s smartphones and will have to decide on strategies for the
sub-$200 and $100 segments. Since analysts expect much of the growth is
coming from that segment staying away is not an option.
When Nokia decided on Windows Phone, getting the cost down was a key
part of its strategy. The Lumia 610 arrived in April 2012 with a $260
price tag without taxes and subsidies, followed by the 510 for about
$200 in October the same year, and then the best-selling 520 for $185 in
February last year. But after that, Nokia’s quest to push down the cost
of its Lumia devices stalled.
Close cooperation between chip makers such as Qualcomm and Mediatek and
phone manufacturers laid the groundwork for Android’s low-end success.
If Microsoft wants to make Windows Phone relevant on inexpensive
smartphones, the company needs broader support from the chip makers,
including reference design programs that include everything
manufacturers need to quickly and cheaply put out affordable products.
Samsung's Galaxy S5
Samsung is one company that any chip maker would love to work with.
While Samsung’s smartphone share was up in 2013, it slightly fell by 1.6
percentage points in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to Gartner.
This was mainly due to a saturated high-end smartphone market in
developed regions, and it remains critical for Samsung to improve its
portfolio at the high end, Gartner said.
The Galaxy S phones have made Samsung successful in that segment and the
company has hinted that version 5 will be launched Monday evening local
time.
Reports say the Galaxy S5 will have a 5.25-inch screen with a 2560 by
1440 pixel resolution and a 16-megapixel or 20-megapixel camera with
optical imaging stabilization. Potential processors include a new
in-house Exynos chip or Qualcomm’s recently announced Snapdragon 805
processor, which has four cores running at up to 2.5GHz and is expected
to be available in commercial devices in the first half of the year.
Samsung can put 4GB of RAM on the S5, thanks to a new chip developed
in-house. But 3GB is starting to look like the new standard
configuration for high-end smartphones with products like the Galaxy
Note 3 and LG Electronics’ G Pro 2 having that amount.
Design is another important part of Samsung’s next flagship smartphone.
The Galaxy S4’s plastic shell wasn’t well liked by reviewers because it
made the device feel less premium than competing products such as the
HTC One and Apple’s iPhones. The faux leather used on the Galaxy Note 3
is a step in the right direction, but only aluminium can put it on par
with the competition.
Samsung and Nokia aren’t the only phone makers that will show new
devices next week. On Tuesday, ZTE said it will launch the Grand Memo II
LTE, which has a 6-inch screen and the Firefox OS-based ZTE Open C.
Huawei Technologies has posted a video saying the company will introduce
two tablets and a smartphone.
LG has already announced four new phones, which it will show at Mobile
World Congress, including the G Pro II, which has a 5.9-inch screen and
Full HD resolution. Sony and BlackBerry will also reportedly announce
new products.
This story, "Samsung and Nokia's Android ambitions in the spotlight at Mobile World Congress" was originally published by
IDG News Service
.
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